Phil Egan
The first time I heard Ken McLachlin sing, it sent a little chill down my spine.
The setting that day was special, as was the song that Ken sang. It was the last Sunday in September, 2018 – National Police and Peace Officers Memorial Day. Ken McLachlin, on that day dedicated to fallen officers, was much more than a singer-songwriter with 35 years of experience. No. For on that hallowed day, Ken McLachlin was an active Detective Constable with the Sarnia Police Service. The song he was singing while playing guitar – The Ballad of John Lewis – was being performed in the very building where Lewis, Sarnia’s first police line-of-duty death, was slain in 1936.
But what made Ken’s performance so special on that day was more than the richness of his voice. It was the fact that he sang the ballad he had written in front of 130 Lewis family members and scores of his brother officers.
Ken McLachlin’s performance that day was so highly acclaimed that it was written about in Blue Line, Canada’s police magazine.
Now, Ken McLachlin has done something special once more. The newest of his five studio albums ,Folk From Home, is a collection of eight original songs, all inspired by and written about Bluewater Land. In addition to The Ballad of John Lewis, Ken has included a captivating tune about Corunna’s almost becoming the nation’s capital – a true story and one that kept this writer humming it for days. Folk From Home, which sells for only $9, is history set to music.
Other musical tales include the burning of ss Hamonic, the building of the St. Clair Tunnel, and more.
Ken’s music can be purchased at his live shows and also online at https://macsmusic1.bandcamp.com
His social media and website links are found here: https://bio.link/macsmusic